Sunday, April 04, 2010

Table 66 on Tras

This might come as a small shock but eating out started to bore me a little last year. The menus started looking the same and the probability of having a ‘gastronomic moment’ was low. It wasn’t that the food was bad; it was more that the new did not entice or excite.

But as life would have it, there are always a few good surprises. Earlier this year, I attended a wine dinner that I agreed to go to more for the company than for anything but it was unexpectedly good and very promising.

Table 66 is a new old kid on the block. There are service problems but it is serious about the food it serves. The room is spare and a little cold but this place offers comfort on plates. The chef, Vincent Teng, is a familiar face. Last spotted at Desire at the Scarlet and prior to that at My Dining Room on Club Street he has grown a fan base of diners. The food is simple and big in flavour. Case in point, the grilled tenderloin and truffle potato puree. Everything was right – the beef was flavourful and tender and the potatoes smooth, creamy and fragrant. The other bright spark of the night was the Royale Noisette Gateau, a rich hazelnut mousse cake that was unexpectedly good. I’ll come back because it’s been a while since got a good feeling a place; somehow I feel like it is serious about good food.